This invention relates generally to an automatic leveling vehicle used to keep the vehicle's operator level when traveling on uneven terrain, and more particularly, to a terrain vehicle which maintains an operator portion of the vehicle body in a relatively level position even when the vehicle is traveling along a slanted grade or uneven terrain while allowing the front portion of the vehicle to remain parallel to the terrain.
Many vehicles have been designed to operate off of improved roadways and over uneven terrain. Such vehicles typically take the form of conventional tractors which have a rigid one-piece frame and a fixed wheelbase. When such a vehicle travels along a slanted grade, the wheels on one side of the vehicle are lower than the wheels on the other side of the vehicle, so the vehicle body necessarily adopts a tilted orientation roughly equal to the slanted grade of the ground. The tilted orientation of the vehicle body can be quite uncomfortable for the driver, particularly when the grade is steep. There is also a danger the vehicle will roll over.
Several embodiments exist in the art that are designed to keep the operator portion of a vehicle level when operating on slanted terrain. For example, a previous vehicle suspension system discloses interlocking rocking axels to compensate for an uneven surface. In another embodiment, the vehicle suspension system has left front and rear wheels mounted to a left rocking beam and right front and rear wheels mounted to a right rocking beam, with the beams pivotally attached to the sides of the frame. In this system, the frame is not maintained at a level orientation, only the amount of incline is reduced.